All That's Left
by SpiritLullaby
Summary: Separated, Kanbei Kuroda and his wife Kushihashiteru are forced to fight to stay alive and find each other again. And to find a particular key...  Kanbei X OC. Based after the video game, Sengoku BASARA 3/SH. Rated for violence and language.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

A man no older than twenty-five is dragged through the halls of his home, his eldest son being carried by two armoured men while he kicks and screams after him. He is only seven. His wife, a blonde-haired woman from a faraway land makes an attempt to follow, only to be shoved back by these darkly dressed men. Instinctively, she wraps her arms around her belly. Pregnant at 8 months. She begins to cry in a foreign tongue, receiving looks of disgust and annoyance.

"Speak the language of _this_ land, foreigner! You obviously know it, you are married to this villain!" one man barks at her, she weeps and frantically reaches out for her husband and son.

"Just let me see them! Please!" she screams.

"What is it? What have I done?" he cries out, watching as his son is bound and forced into the palanquin. His screams of protest still heard. He then sees his wife being held down, her face covered with tears and her eyes reddened from it all.

The leader of these captors turns to the man, narrowing his eyes and briskly whipping out a parchment of paper. Unfolding, it is a warrant. An arrest warrant.

"Kuroda Kanbei," the official begins, "You are under arrest for the act of treason against Lord Hideyoshi, ruler of this land. You were found conspiring against him, and plotting to seize control while in his service as General. On top of this, though you said you had given up that odd religion of _Christianity_, it is clear to us that your wife Kushihashiteru, and your son Nagamasa are still devotees." He turns to look at her, she gasps for air from her sobbing. He makes a "tsk" sound and adds, "Your punishment is to be sent to the mines South of here. To Ishigakibaru for you, traitor!"

"She has nothing to do with this," The man named Kanbei says, his voice strained, "Please, she is pregnant. Leave her and my son be. Dami – I mean, Nagamasa is only seven, he is innocent."

The official huffs, handing over the warrant to his second-in-command and waves his freehand to the others, signalling them to take them away. The once-Lord Kuroda is forced into a separate palanquin, he too yells in protest. Guards hold back his wife while she sobs uncontrollably and frantically reaches to grab the movable cages that contain her family.

"Leave the ... Woman behind. Her punishment is solitude."

They push her back, point their weapons at her and threaten that if she so dares to follow, they will not hesitate in killing her. Blinded by shock and trauma, Kushihashiteru is left with no one but herself and her unborn child while it kicks furiously within her. With a dead stare she watches the men carry her husband and son away, to pay for their punishment. She silently prays that they will outlive their sentence, and return to her and the infant from within. She silently prays that all of this nightmarish reality will come to an abrupt end.

Her praying becomes a numbing comfort to her. It's one of the few things she now has left.

She turns to slowly walk back, but stops. Something is wrong. She clutches her swollen belly, gasping for air and choking in pain while she struggles to find help. Thankfully, the maids are there.

Months pass, and even though Kuroda Kanbei and his son have adjusted to the dank, dark tunnels of Ishigakibaru, they are still reminded of the evils that lurk everywhere. Supervised by the malicious Otani Yoshitsugu, they work long, relentless hours within the mines. It is at this time they are approached by a man in dark clothes, carrying a bundle in his arms.

Though bound by a hefty ball and chain, Kanbei approached the man with his son following close behind with apprehension.

"Kuroda Kanbei, I presume?" the man asks.

"I would prefer Josui, but I've no choice, do I?" Kanbei replied with much bitterness in his tone. The man pays no mind.

"I come bearing something for you. An infant. Your son." He says and pulls back the blanket to reveal a sleeping baby boy. No more than a few weeks old, his head is covered with a feathered mess of dark brown hair.

Looking between the babe and the man, he is at a loss for words. Awkwardly, he reaches his bound hands out to the child and with some skill he is able to hold the baby in his arms. He looks back at the man with widened, frightened eyes.

"What...What about my wife? Alice. Sorry, Kushihashiteru. Is she alright?" he asks, desperately wanting to know, and yet something inside says it's best not to ever find out.

"She died at childbirth. The process was too complicated for her, she grew ill from the lack of medicine. She succumbed to her illness, the fever was just too much for her." The man replies blankly.

Something within Kanbei shattered that day.

At his side, his son Nagamasa falls to the ground, his knees hitting the rock and dirt with force as his hands hold him up. A tear fall freely from his eyes and he begins to mourn the loss of his mother. His father stands in shock, still holding his second son in his arms. He slowly shakes his head in denial.

Couldn't have.

She's stronger than that.

But no, they claim she passed on.

Unable to contain himself, he looks over to his fellow miners, searching for an answer. They move towards him, one carefully takes the baby out of his arms and another quietly leads a weeping Nagamasa away to leave Kanbei with his thoughts. The man in dark solemnly bows his head and excuses himself.

First one tear, and then another. He begins to mourn, asking why. He glares down at his weighted burden, the ball and chain. His eyes turn to the wooden shackles that hold his hands. He smashes it against the ball, releasing frustration, anger and sorrow. Tears continue to fall as he smashes the shackles in an attempt to break them into pieces. His body loses the will to hold him up as he falls to the ground, his arms draping over the ball with his forehead pressed against it.

A single memory of her drifts into his mind, he breathes heavily between sobs.

"Alice...Why..." he whispers.

His fellow inmates watch with sympathetic looks, one gently pats Nagamasa on the head as he continues to cry. His infant brother begins to cry out for his father, and for his dead mother. This catches Kanbei's attention, causing him to turn to face them.

Have to carry on.

Slowly, he walks towards them with the ball dragging behind him. He holds his arms to hold his son and sits on the ground, motioning Nagamasa to come over. A miner places the infant on his lap and his eldest born sits beside him, clinging onto his arms.

"His name is Kumanosuke. He is your little brother. Take care of him." He says quietly to him, the boy nods obediently.

This is all they have now within the dark tunnels of Ishigakibaru.

Family is all they have left.

Not too far from where they were kept stood another section of the mines, roughly about 20 feet above where they were. There, men worked endlessly to gain whatever desired item that was hidden beneath the stone. There, men who once served the Kuroda also stayed and took care of a frail creature, far from her home and completely blind to her surroundings.

There, was Kushihashiteru. Alive and well, though understandably frightened.

"My lady, you should eat something." a miner said calmly to her, resting a hand on her small shoulder and offered her some watered down soup. She shook her head and gave a weak smile.

"No thank you." she said and hugged her legs closer to herself for warmth. The man sighed and nodded.

"We'll find them. You'll see." he said reassuringly, hoping to give the foreign woman some comfort.

"I know," she replied, "Otani is a father of lies. I know this well. You cannot trust a letter." she added and stared over at the parchment of paper.

It read:

_"We regret to inform you that Kuroda Kanbei and Kuroda Nagamasa died in prison." _

She shook her head and looked on, her eyes stinging from crying earlier. She forced herself to look down at the crucifix that hung around her neck, a mere memory of what kept her going through most of her life while living in a world much different from what she was used to. It was by a strange stroke of luck and fate itself that allowed her to meet Kuroda Kanbei (Don Simeon when she had first met him and she was known as Alice), and from there they wed. Not a lavish wedding, but enough to symbolize their unity. And she couldn't have been happier.

It was only years after their time of bliss did things go wrong. When Hideyoshi Toyotomi came into power, when men were driven mad with the need to kill another for the sake of their rulers. Instead of the ground being filled with flowers, it ran with red. The rivers too, ran with blood and the souls of the dead. The entirety of it all sent an ominous chill through her, she never wanted to see the dead and the dying.

It was at this time when she lost her family, and gave birth to her second child soon after. A boy, with hair much like his father's and the same sleepiness as him. All she could do was weep with a mixture of love and sorrow, knowing in her heart that she may never see her husband and eldest son again. Things took an even darker turn when the very same men who took away Kanbei and Nagamasa took away her newborn son. Not even waiting for her to recover from giving birth, they took her away from her home.

Brought to Ishigakibaru not long ago, forced to work in the mines against her will, she lost everything; her husband, her children, her dignity and her name. But she didn't lose her will to carry on. She knew that they would escape when opportunity presented itself. She knew that very well, indeed.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I'm going to start by saying how nervous I am about posting this, it's ridiculous, not a lot of people really care about Kanbei but ahhhh well. I've had this floating about in my head long before I started writing the other two Basara ficlets I have on here. A lot of research went into finding out who Kanbei's wife was, and her name was Kushihashiteru from what I found. Alice is just a name I gave her to match his two names Don Simeon and Josui, both of which are linked to his faith in Christianity. She's pretty much 85% fictional aside from the name, who she's married to and who she had kids with.

But yes, hope someone likes my fanfic of Kanbei and his wife, despite it being so damn depressing. I ended up loving the guy after playing SB3, to the point of making an OC for him (how typical of me lol). Very short prologue, but I'm still writing. :)

**I do not own Kuroda Kanbei's concept or the entire concept of Sengoku BASARA itself, that belongs to Sengoku BASARA, Capcom. **

I do however own the concept of Kushihashiteru, Nagamasa Kuroda (not Azai) and Kumanosuke.


	2. Chapter One

_**Chapter One **_

_Clank. Clank. Clank._

Iron collided with stone, echoing through the dark caverns of Ishigakibaru. Men from all walks of life dwelled there, forced to work and given little time to rest. A rough life, no doubt. In the centre of this prison sat a man, his eyes fixed on the flames that flickered while he held a tattered piece of parchment in his shackled hands. Once known under the baptismal name Don Simeon, he gave that up for the sake of pleasing others. Having been forced to live a life of imprisonment for more than ten years, he began to adjust to the darkness and the solemn atmosphere. A former daimyo in his own right, he was now stripped of his title, with nothing left but his two sons and his name, Kanbei Kuroda.

"Pa, everything alright...?" the eldest of the two asked as he walked up to him. He casually set his shovel down on the ground and seated himself beside Kanbei while his younger brother climbed up onto his father's lap and looped himself in between his arms.

Forcing a smile, the shackled man moved his eyes away from the fire to look at them, his tired, old eyes being greeted by a pair of large, curious ones. It provided a little bit of comfort to him.

"Ah, I'm fine, Nagamasa," Kanbei said, shrugging his shoulders and shifted his weight, "No need to worry about me, I'm managing." Kumanosuke quickly grabbed his tattered overcoat and shot his father a pouty look in response to the sudden movement.

"Papa. Moving. Bad." He said as his cheeks puffed and pointed his index finger at him. The 'Badger' let out a soft chuckle, and moved his arms closer to himself, preventing Kumanosuke from falling. Turning to look at his youngest, he felt a slight stab of pain in his chest now noticing the resemblance between his youngest son's annoyed expression and his late wife's annoyed expression.

Noticing this, Nagamasa moved closer and rested his head against Kanbei's leg, some strands of his curly blonde hair pressing against him.

"We'll get through this Pa, I'm sure Ma is watching." He said quietly, feeling a lump forming in his throat as he thought about his mother. Kumanosuke turned to look at his older brother with a quizzical look and tilted his head.

"I saw Mama. She was high up above there," he said and stretched his arm above his head and pointed. Kanbei raised an eyebrow and slowly turned his head to look in the direction, Nagamasa followed after with an equally confused expression, "She was staring down at us with her hair moving about. She looked so sad."

A few of the miners stopped to listen to little Kumanosuke speak of his mother, some even walked over while scratching their heads. Nagamasa shifted uncomfortably in his seat and gave his father an uneasy look. Kanbei slowly nodded and turned to look at his youngest, trying his best to keep his patience in check.

"Son," he said softly, shifting his arms while Kumanosuke turned to look back at him with wondering eyes, "Mama...Has gone to a better place, you were too young to know what she looked like, and you were brought here when you were a baby. Perhaps it was someone else working in the upper level of the mines?" He began to anticipate a very upset child after he said this, all the more dreading that he would have to try to calm his crying son.

Nagamasa nodded, "Yeah, maybe some of the rocks were shaped into a person and it _is _hard to see down here."

Kumanosuke furrowed his brows and shook his head furiously, "Nuh-uh! I saw Mama! She looked like one of those angels you speak of, Nagamasa! You said so yourself that she had light hair and kind eyes!" He pointed at his older brother in an attempt to intimidate him.

_An angel? She always spoke of angels, given the fact that her eyes seem to give everybody else that thought... _Kanbei thought, looking between the bickering boys. He then started to recall memories involving her.

An eye of green and an eye of brown, a sight uncommon that attracted mixed emotions. Her curled, blonde hair always seemed to make her stand out. It never bothered him in the slightest, being fortunate enough to have a wife. Images of her and the lingering scent of wisteria flooded his memories and as quick as they appeared, soon dissolved into the darkened corners of his mind.

"Maybe she is," he said, interrupting the argument and deeply inhaled, "Heaven...Ran out of angels, and that is why your mother is gone. They needed her love and warmth." He added with his voice slightly cracking.

Nagamasa stared at his father with widened eyes, Kumanosuke smiled and nodded.

"See? I told you!" the younger son said with a triumphant grin.

"Maybe...You're right, Pa..." Nagamasa replied, his voice a lot quieter than before. The thought of his mother being an angel was ridiculous, but perhaps it was more believable than thinking his little brother killed her. He needed something to believe in.

Kanbei nodded. He shifted his weight some more to allow Nagamasa sit closer to him and watched his eldest son think it over.

_I know it's a stupid idea, son. But just believe in it for a little while longer, at least until Kumanosuke grows up..._

"I should probably go back to work." Nagamasa said quietly and stood back up. Grabbing his shovel, he somberly walked off to where he was previously working.

Kumanosuke jumped off of his father's lap and dusted himself off, "I should go to work too. I have ... New things to see." And with that, he ran off into the mine's darkness without a second thought. His father quirked a brow at his youngest son's odd behaviour, but soon shrugged it off and attributed it to his usual shyness and distance from others. He seemed to be struck with it of late.

Kanbei however remained seated where he was, his thoughts occupied over his late wife. He recalled her laughter, her singing and her words of kindness. Though not considered to be famous for her looks and her bi-coloured eyes unnerved those who stared, she was a radiant beauty in his eyes. A woman who always thought of others before herself, always patient and rarely lost her temper - though that never stopped her from having one - and enjoying the simple pleasures of life and offering what she could to make others feel at home. Something that he had begun to forget the more time had passed by. Would he know what it was like to enjoy life again? To know what luck was?

Clumsy and luckless as he was, Kushihashiteru never minded his quirks and he never asked why. And he never minded her naivety, surprisingly being patient with her. He wasn't fond of animals, but she tended to the resident doves that lived at their former estate and that suited him well. He would read over documents detailing politics while she played the shamisen and harpsichord, the sounds often bringing comfort to the silence. At dinner they would sit down and converse over their daily activities, he spoke of his duty to the Toyotomi and as daimyo of the Kuroda while she chatted on about her little get-togethers with other women and the occasional discovery of one thing or another. At night before they turned in he would read to her pages of Japanese literature, poetry and share his ideas with her. She would listen, nod, smile and offer her opinions. They prayed and slept together, arm in arm. A simple, but loving life.

_She had to be patient, putting up with a guy like me. _

With a sigh, he pushed himself off from the metal ball. Hesitantly, he slowly turned his head up towards the area where Kumanosuke spoke of the sighting. His heart began to beat a little faster, giving himself that tiny glimmer of hope that perhaps she was there.

Nothing. Just rocks.

Sighing again, he shook his head and walked towards the current construction site, dragging the iron ball and his burdens with him.

* * *

><p>"They said I could see angels."<p>

"Could you?"

Kushihashiteru gave the miner a warm, reassuring smile before sipping on some lukewarm miso soup. Moving her eyes downwards, she set the bowl aside and leaned back against the wall of rock, letting out a soft sigh.

"At times I thought I could," She said softly, looking back at the miner, "With eyes like mine, you are either a Heretic or you have eyes that can see both Heaven and Earth. A green eye and a brown eye is what I have."

"Heretic?" the miner said, tilting his head to his left in confusion.

"Heresy. Heretic. Those who conflict with God and those who believe in Him. Something I am not, I am a faithful daughter." She smiled, her hand gently touching the cross that dangled from her neck.

"Isn't that what got both you and Lord Kanbei in trouble, though M'lady?" he asked, scratching the back of his head and leaned forward.

"It is. We had to drop our faith and _pretend_. He chose another name – Josui. I reverted back to being called Kushihashiteru instead of Alicia, or Arisu." She replied, her expression darkening as she gripped the cross, as if something was threatening her faith.

"It wasn't long until Josui was arrested, taking Nagamasa with him. A couple of days later they took little Kumanosuke, I was then arrested under false accusations and brought here. Ten years later and I'm still waiting. Patiently."

The miner stared back at her, then turning to sip his share of miso soup. Setting the bowl down, he turned back to her with a confused expression.

"M'lady, weren't you given a letter stating they all died recently?" he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

She let out a long, soft sigh and nodded. But her expression changed to suspicion.

"I think it's rather suspicious," she replied, "Why would Lord Otani personally write to me about my husband? They never liked each other, so the only plausible solution is that there a much more sinister plan being made."

Reaching over, she grabbed an old, clay cup and poured herself a helping of tea. Putting the cup to her lips, she sipped on the lukewarm liquid. Her nose crinkled at the lack of warmth from it as she drank from the cup.

"None of it makes sense. Otani was never the type to be sympathetic. Heavens, not even the remnants of the Toyotomi knew mercy. Hanbei Takenaka to some degree, but he was selective. Josui was fortunate enough to be within that circle, being a talented strategist. But things changed, almost everyone seemed to become a darker version of themselves, as if being consumed by an evil force..."

"M'lady, maybe that's a bit much."

"No. Ever saw Osaka Castle? It's a dark, foreboding place now. Never sees sunlight, always winter." She felt a bit saddened and a little sheepish from her own description, wondering if perhaps she was over-exaggerating. She sighed.

"Perhaps we should stage a rebellion."

Kushihashiteru looked up and over at the man with widened eyes, "Pardon? Surely you jest."

He shook his head, "Serious. To avenge Lord Kanbei."

She leaned back and looked up at the rocky ceiling, trying to take it all in. A rebellion would do well, but the problem would be strategy. She had no knowledge of such things – her husband yes, but even then that landed him in prison and later death. Her roles were that of a wife, bestowed upon her since she was young. Kanbei taught her a few tricks but never fully taught her how to handle a battle! A few sessions of swordplay here and there, but even so she was a pacifist and the art of war meant little to her. They would need more time.

_What in the world would Josui do...? _

The words echoed in her head, chanting to her and making her think about how he would take action. Her thoughts were shaken when the mines began to rumble and quake, some of the construction nearby toppled over and collapsed. Could it have been an earthquake? She quickly braced herself, keeping her eyes and ears open. The miner she spoke to kept his arms over her, making sure none of the rubble would hit her. Kushihashiteru silently prayed that they would all make it through this tremor alive and hopefully without injuries. She needed them all to carry out the rebellion and she needed their support to keep her going.

_Please let us make it through and let us find hope. Please give us a chance to see freedom and life again..._

* * *

><p>Little Kumanosuke stared up at the machine with pride, his hands placed firmly on his hips while his face broke out into a triumphant grin. A mechanical beast rumbled and growled before him, awaiting his command. He walked around it, its body consisting of scrapped pieces from others with a large, corkscrew drill fashioned at the front. It was finally complete. Months of hard labour and sneaking off between sleeps finally paid off. He patted himself on the back and marched over to the ladder. Climbing up onto it, he pushed one of the levers and set the metallic monstrosity in motion. Clumsy at first with his driving, he pressed on with determination. He called out to the miners to move with haste, grumbling a few apologies when they tried to dodge it and landed into a pile of rocks.<p>

Eager to find his father and brother, he drummed his fingers on the control panels and drove on. He thought about how he could set everyone free, avenging the Kuroda clan and finding his mother again. She was alive and he would prove his brother wrong. The next step would be finding a way to free his father from those infernal chains, he had spoken of a key but no one knew where it was or who had it. First things first were to display this and show off its power for its debut, he knew that much.

"Papa will love you," he said quietly to his creation, petting it lovingly, "He'll love you _Drillatron._"


	3. Chapter Two

When the tremors finally subsided from within the mines, Kushihashiteru looked about the place with paranoid eyes, expecting another shockwave and to witness the rock that surrounded her to tumble down. When there was no evidence of a second wave she let out a sigh of relief and promptly dusted herself off. She turned to look at the miners, checking to see if they were unharmed. A few of the men crawled about the ground, some with a leg crushed by rock, some with an arm crushed or some received harsh beatings from the rock itself. Either way, there were a few men injured and a couple dead. Kushihashiteru felt her heart grow heavy when she heard of the dead miners and gave herself a moment of silence to pray for their safe passage to the other side.

After an hour of clearing the damage, praying for those who passed on and tending to the wounded, she rested on a nearby rock and gave herself a moment to recollect. Leaning against the wall, she felt her breathing become rattled and a sharp lump form in her throat. Soon after tears fell free from her eyes and she hunched over. Wrapping her dirtied arms around herself she began to weep, finally letting the wall she built up within her collapse. She wept for the miners who died, for the miners who were injured and for herself. But most of all, Kushihashiteru wept for the husband she lost years ago and the children that followed him soon after. Curses upon curses moved about her since the loss of her family, she never wanted to blame anyone but even she knew that there was someone who deserved it. Inside, she cursed Yoshitsugu for all of this with thoughts of violence lingering within her mind that scared her more than motivated her. Everything began to mute itself, the cave blurred into a dull black and whatever she heard before was now muffled. She felt weightless but heavy, she could feel something tug her, but there was nothing there. She needed to calm down.

When she calmed herself, she quickly wiped away her tear-stained face and looked down below the mines towards the river of lava.

Mesmerized by the slow moving flow of the fiery liquid, she felt her nerves begin to relax at a gradual pace. Her eyes trailed along the river towards the rocks that surrounded it, tracing their shapes, sizes and shadows. She kept her eyes moving along the outlines until she came upon an unusual figure that stuck out. A large, round metal ball with a chain that lay lazily on the ground, leading off into the dark. She leaned over a little more to see where the ball was connected to, only to see the figure of a man standing just a few feet away from the riverbed. Kushihashiteru narrowed her eyes, straining to identify the man. Immensely tall, well-built frame in clothes that resembled the earth itself were dirtied and torn. On his back she could see little black rainclouds that decorated his jacket. It struck her as familiar and sent a shock through her. With widened eyes and a fast-beating heart she stood up, keeping her focus on him.

She felt her throat lock up, a sharp pain forming in her stomach and her eyes stinging from fresh tears, but still she forced herself to stay looking at the man. He turned to his left and walked a bit closer to the lava river, the dim lighting illuminating his facial features. Kushihashiteru could see his face and recognized it instantaneously, causing her to let out a soft sob and she started to walk along the edge to meet at equal parallels. Breathing in, she cupped her hand around her mouth and called for him.

"_Josui!_" she cried and repeated, hoping it would get his attention.

She watched as he quickly whipped his head around to look, until he moved his gaze up to meet hers. He stumbled back as if he saw a ghost, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he let out abrupt yelps and shook his shackled hands at her. She smiled down at him and waved frantically, he continued to stammer and stumble about, wondering if he was imagining things. He gave his head a shake and dragged the ball closer to him. Kushihashiteru shook her head and laughed for the first time. She looked around to figure a way down the rocks to get to him. She felt a hand grab her shoulder and pull her back, making her let out a yelp.

She jumped up from her spot with a fist ready and stared at the miner with angry eyes. Everything still felt out of sorts, making her stumble a bit in her stance.

"Sorry M'lady! Didn't mean to startle you, I just thought that you shouldn't be sleeping there!" he said quickly and stepped back; she let out a soft, annoyed sigh and nodded.

"It's fine, please don't do that again." She said and turned back around, to see if Kanbei was still there.

He wasn't.

"Is there something down there, M'lady?"

With her heart breaking, Kushihashiteru turned away with her head hanging, realizing that she was just dreaming. The miner stared back at her in confusion, asking if she was okay. With a forced smile, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder and kept walking. She silently prayed that she wasn't losing her mind.

"It's nothing; I thought I saw someone down there..."

* * *

><p>Kanbei stormed through the small camp, dragging the iron ball behind him. Occasionally he snapped at the odd miner who lazed around, his temper getting the best of him. When left to his own devices, he swung the ball around in a fit of rage, letting out a yell of frustration. Everything seemed to fall out of place for him, starting with the shackles that dragged him down.<p>

He glared down at shackles and the chained ball, blaming them for everything that had befallen him. The tremors that shook the mines moments before not only threw them behind schedule with their construction, but had also left a heavy cost on the lives of the miners. Fifteen dead, ten injured with the possibility of amputations for some and with only a few who came out of the disaster unscathed, Kanbei's plans of escape and rebellion were thrown off course. He sat down on the ball, still angry over the loss of men and the disaster that occurred. Exhaling, he leaned over and cupped his head with his cuffed hands. He heard a faint rumbling sound in the distance, making him stand up and call out to the remaining miners that another earthquake was about to happen.

With widened eyes he kept his guard up and prepared for the worst. A strange thing about the quake made him think, however. The shaking was more present in the eastern part of the mines, making him wonder if it was possibly a collapse in the mine. Kanbei quirked his brow and slowly approached the direction to where the source of the shaking was. In a matter of seconds a cloud of dust and debris burst forth from one of the walls, making him cough and yell. Waving his arms to get rid of the dust clouds, he narrowed his eyes to see what caused the explosion.

His jaw dropped and he stumbled back as he came face to face with a metallic contraption. His eldest son Nagamasa soon joined him, along with the rest of the miners all equally sharing the same expressions of shock and fear as him. Built with a gigantic metal drill, this mechanical being was larger than any horse a soldier could own, it was big enough to tower over a small house at least. The machine creaked and groaned as its gentle growling came to a stop and jumping from it was Kanbei's youngest son, Kumanosuke.

"Neat isn't it?" he called out with a wide grin and patted the side affectionately, "I built it myself whenever I could. I skipped naps and dinner for it!"

"What is it?!" Nagamasa said, looking at it with slight fear and stood close behind his father.

"I call it Drillatron!" the younger brother said, his grin still present.

"Drill..A...tron..?" Kanbei said slowly, quirking an eyebrow and walked over to Kumanosuke who nodded.

"I built it for us...So we can escape." He said bashfully and kicked a small pebble.

Kanbei couldn't believe his eyes or ears, looking over the machine and then staring down at his youngest son. An inventor. A genius, just like him – perhaps even more of a genius than him. He kneeled down to meet him at eye level, his mind still lost in amazement. Kumanosuke stared back at him, eager for praise and approval.

"You built this for all of us to escape?" he asked, his son nodded.

"And to find Mama." He added.

The daimyo felt a tug inside his chest at hearing the words 'to find Mama'. The boy was determined to prove otherwise no matter how much Kanbei tried to convince him that Kushihashiteru was dead. He was stubborn – just like him. He closed his eyes for a second, trying to find the right words to tell Kumanosuke that chasing a ghost was near impossible.

Nagamasa walked over to them with his arms crossed, "Kumanosuke, Pa said that Ma isn't here anymore."

"Nagamasa." Kanbei said, with sharpness in his tone that caused his older son to straighten up.

"But-"

"Enough. We'll look for her. We're also looking for a big silver key to get these damn things off me, and then we're going straight to Osaka to give Yoshitsugu a piece of our minds." He said and stood up, placing a hand on Kumanosuke's head affectionately. Nagamasa nodded, biting his lip and looked away.

Turning to the rest of the miners he gave them a nod as they lifted their shovels, pickaxes and rakes and let out a loud yell, it echoed through the mines – catching the attention of those who were stationed above them. Kanbei smirked to himself, watching as the men ran about the site to gather their things and prepare for the battles that were to come. Nagamasa ran off to gather his own supplies and a chair for his father to sit in as a makeshift war council was needed. Their rebellion was about to begin after all.

Kanbei felt a tug on his jacket and looked down at Kumanosuke, who stared back up at him. Bending his knees, he sat down on the ball while his son produced a piece of parchment with rushed kanji on it. Looking it over, he recognized it as the boy's writing as it spoke of instructions for the 'Drillatron'. When finished, he nodded and smiled at him. Kumanosuke brought out another piece of parchment with different writing and handed it to him.

"I found this falling from above, just after the earthquake from earlier." He quietly said and put his hands behind his back sheepishly.

Kanbei read it over, feeling that familiar pit in his stomach jolt as he read over the words. The writing style was familiar, though instead of written in a child's hand, the curves and lines seemed much more gentle and written with care. A woman's hand, possibly.

"_I find it hard to believe that my husband and sons are dead. Though it pains me that they consider me a threat to the point of locking me away within the Ishigakibaru Mines, I have always followed the hearts and minds of those who will lead our realm into prosperity. Many times I have sought an audience with them, but I was always turned away. I humbly ask why all of this hostility, especially in these dark times, and why I deserved such a fate. Was it that I regrettably turned away from My Father in Heaven? A woman is capable of many things, but I, Kuroda no Hikari was never of the violent sort. I truly believe that my beloved Josui and my dearest sons are alive. I will never give up, even if I have to throw my head upon the guillotine, bathe in boiling oil and be forever condemned within the darkened pits of Hell. _

_May this be my written will, my motivation and my proof of love and loyalty. _

_Kuroda no Kushihashiteru 'Hikari' – Daughter of Yoshiyasu and Wife of Kanbei"_

Kanbei finished reading the parchment with shaking hands, his breathing rattled and his blood boiling. They lied. Yoshitsugu lied. He handed it back to Kumanosuke who hesitantly took it from him and backed away.

"Show this to your brother." He said quietly to his son before leaving him. Kumanosuke nodded and quickly walked away from him.

Giving himself a moment to breathe, Kanbei stood up and walked away from the others, needing space to think this over and let it sink in. She was alive and somewhere within these mines. Above possibly, considering Kumanosuke mentioned he found the piece of parchment flutter down from there.

Walking towards the lava river, he looked up at the cliff that hung over his area of the construction sites. He looked over the rocks' shapes, jagged edges and shadows. He kept looking until he could see little flags flutter above them, instantly signalling him that there was life up there. That was at least something in his mind, but still he couldn't see the familiar blonde curls that he missed seeing or the two-coloured eyes that always looked back at him in curiosity. Lost in frustration, Kanbei paced back and forth along the river's edge while trying to regain his thoughts. Only the sounds of the miners planning and the chain being dragged along as he walked could be heard.

_She is alive. That parchment couldn't have been that old, the ink is still too fresh. But who knows if she's still alive, that damned earthquake happened only a couple of hours ago. _

_Damn it, she's done nothing wrong! Why is she being punished for something I did?! _

_She's innocent! Her only crime would be..._

_**Being married to me...**_

"Pa?"

Kanbei spun around, locking gazes with Nagamasa who held a shovel over his shoulders. The miners all looked over at him, eager to hear of his next move. Kumanosuke sat on top of the Drillatron, packs of rations, weapons and medical supplies were perched on the balcony of the machine. Kanbei looked at them, breathed in and nodded.

"Men! We set our sights on Osaka! But first, we take control of Kyushu. Once that is established, we hurry over east to get our revenge!" he called out. Both his sons and the miners cheered.

"Revenge!"

"For Lord Kanbei!"

"For our lands!"

"For our family!"

Each of them cheered for their own desires, ambitions and whatever else that came to mind. Inside, Kanbei thought of revenge, getting free of his chains and finding his wife. The daimyo looked among them, feeling a little ray of hope at this plan. Perhaps luck was on his side after all. He felt a smirk form on his lips as he thought of this.

_Just as planned._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Sorry this took so long to write! I'm currently in art college again and finishing a semester so I can graduate in December. But don't worry, I've had this particular story fresh in my head. However I think 'Memories' will be given the axe as I have no more motivation/inspiration for it, which sucks and I feel bad about that. =\

I got a little too wordy with this one, so my apologies if some things sound weird. I also gave Kushihashiteru/Alice another nickname, which is Hikari - part of her name has the kanji for 'Hikari' in it. I found this ironic since it means 'light' and Kuroda has 'Kuro' in it which means 'dark' or 'black'. Also I don't think I explained this in the previous chapter about her Heterochromia Iridium and the superstitions. She also mentions 'heretics'. This is referring to the Spanish and Portugal Inquisitions which took place between 1400's – 1800's. The Inquisition involved the punishment and killing of men, women and children under the suspicions of being a witch (or a heretic). Alice's heterochromia iridium was considered to be a myth involving being a witch or in some cases being able to see holy spirits so I decided to play with that. :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sengoku BASARA or Kanbei Kuroda's concept, but I do own Kushihashiteru's, Nagamasa and Kumanosuke's concepts. **


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